DENMARK, S.C. (courtesy voorhees.edu) — Funding for the Voorhees College TRIO Student Support Services Program (TRIO-SSSP) grant has been renewed through the U.S. Department of Education for $1.4 million over the next five years.
TRIO refers to the three types of programs: Upward Bound, Talent Search, and Student Support Services, which existed within the reauthorization of the Higher Education Act and was designed to assist eligible students in beginning and completing a post-secondary education.
TRIO-SSSP has been on the Voorhees campus for 23 years. Its mission is to advance and defend the ideal of equal educational opportunities for its 175 participants to overcome economic, social, academic, and cultural barriers to higher education.
Support services are free to all TRIO-SSSP participants and include academic advising/tutoring and planning, information on financial and economic literacy/financial planning, Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA) assistance, support for students with disabilities, personal development and motivation counseling, college success coaches, educational/cultural enrichment activities not typically experienced (i.e., trips to museums, historical site visits, virtual events), and post-graduation preparation.
Lynda Jefferson, Voorhees director of TRIO-SSSP, said she and the SSSP coordinators, Wendy Hyland and Ella Risi, are blessed to have the opportunity to work with the program for another five years. “It is gratifying to know that what we do with our students makes a difference,” said Jefferson. “Also, it is interesting to observe the transitions students go through from their freshman year to graduation and beyond.”
“Voorhees College is delighted to have been awarded continued funding through the historic TRIO-SSSP,” said Dr. Ronnie Hopkins, provost and vice president for academic affairs. “The Voorhees College SSSP is second to none in the successful delivery of support services. SSSP will continue providing exceptional care and support, leading to outstanding academic experiences and ultimate graduation for our students.”
Dr. W. Franklin Evans, Voorhees president and CEO, said TRIO benefits so many students. “Voorhees College continues to enroll and educate first-generation college students. The Voorhees SSSP assists other individuals who are at-risk with challenges and disabilities to progress through the academic pipeline and matriculation of higher education as seamless as possible,” Evans said. “I am delighted that the funding for our program will continue because the opportunities and advantages offered to these students are amazing. This is a program that has touched the lives of many different students and graduates who are now working as professionals in careers and fields such as education, accounting, politics, health care, sports management, and mass communications.”
For more information or how to apply to the TRIO-Student Support Services Program, contact Lynda Jefferson, TRIO-SSSP director (phone: 803-780-1279, email: lyndaj@voorhees.edu), or visit https://vcacademics.com/student-support-services/.